Ignitor

Road of Bones

Cruz Del Sur Music 2007

Texas has entered the fray of the recent revival of traditional heavy metal that has been on the upswing in recent years.  The state's standard bearers are Ignitor and this is their debut full length.  References to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden abound on Road of Bones though the confident power of Erika's vocals are a slight deviation from this tried and true formula.  After a somewhat confusing intro the title track gallops into battle under the banner of catchy melodies which attempt to resurrect the epic majesty of the forefathers of the genre.  Up next is Scarlet Enigma which borders on a thrashiness in the riffing and has a really meaty production lending a modern feel to the song.  March to the Guillotine is sort of a mixed bag for me as it teeters on the brink of being awesome and comical.  The repetitive "march, march, march..." somehow sounds silly, but when she screams out "to the guillotine!" I catch myself screaming along with Erika.  For me Erika's vocals stand out as the one truly bright spot as she manages to exude power and strength.  It's really too bad that the music behind her isn't more memorable.  Another issue is that the production lends a really modern feel to a music that for me should evoke a sense of nostalgia.  Instead I find myself constantly wishing for certain aspects to be injected in to the album rather than being able to truly enjoy it for what it is.  Road of Bones is just a middle of the road album that doesn't really stand out amongst stronger efforts in the ever expanding sea of their traditional metal contemporaries.